Ground-leveling machine.



H. l. REED.

GROUND LEVELING MACHINE. APPUCATIQN HLED NOV. 23,195- 1,223,831 6 Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

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H. J. REED.

GROUND LEVELING MACHlNE.

APPLICATION FlLElYNOV. 23. 1916.

1,223,831 Patented Apr. 24,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- HENRY J. REED, OF TOWNSEND, MONTANA.

GROUND-LEVELING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

Application filed November 23, 1916. Serial No. 133,005.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. REED, a citizen of the United States, residing at Townsend, in the county of Broadwater and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ground- Leveling Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a machine which is constructed for leveling ground, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a machine as specified which includes a pair of side rails which are preferably constructed of angle iron, having horizontally positioned land engaging runners, and which side rails have a scraper blade attached thereto and extending from one rail to the other, intermediate of their ends.

A further object of this invention is to attach a pair of arms to the side rails, which arms carry a roller, that is positioned rearwardly of the scraper blade.

A still further object of this invention is to provide means for raising or lowering either the front or rear end of the leveling machine for regulating the scraping scope of the scraper.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention consists in such novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters designate like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved land leveling machine.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the land leveling machine.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine, and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the machine.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l and 2 indicate the side rails or runners of the machine, which are preferably constructed of angle iron and have horizontal land engaging portions 3. The forward ends of the runners or side rails 1 and 2 have their upper edges inclined as shown at 4, for providing pointed ends as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The side rails or runners 1 and 2 have it arms 5 connected thereto in any suitable manner such as by rivets 6, which arms carry a shaft 7 upon which is rotatably mounted a roller 8. Positioned forwardly of the roller 8 and extending from one of the side rails to the other is a scraper blade 9, which has flanges l0 formed upon its ends, which flanges are attached in any suitable manner as indicated at 11, to the inner surfaces of the runners 1 and 2.

A cross bar 12 is attached to and extends across from one of the runners to the other, a short distance rearwardly of the front ends of the runners. A U-shaped channel iron 13 is attached to the runners rearwardly of the cross brace 12, and a second channel iron 14 is positioned directly beneath the channel iron 13, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 ofthe drawings. Standards 15 are slidably carried by the horizontal or bight portions of the U-shaped channel bars 13 and 14, and they have their lower ends forked as shown at 16, which forked portions are enlarged, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings to form suitable supports for axles 17 upon which the front supporting wheels 18 of the machine are mounted. The rods 15 are slidably and rotatably connected to the channel irons l3 and 14 so as to permit of a swiveled movement of the front wheels 18.

Hand levers 19 are provided which are pivotally connected as shown at 20 to sad dles 21, which saddles are provided with horizontal portions 22. The horizontal portions 22 extend over theupper ends of the standards 15 and rest upon pins 23 which extend diametrically through the standards. The forward ends of the levers 19 have chains or analogous flexible members 24 connected thereto, which flexible members are in turn connected to the cross brace 12 so that when the handle ends of the levers 19 are moved downwardly, the pins 23 will act as a-fulcrum and the forward ends of the side rails 1 and 2will be raised, by the chains or flexible members 2%, until the desired height is reached, for regulating the height of the lower edge of the scraper 9 above the ground.

A pair of bracing arms 25 are attached to the channel iron 14 and to the back of the scraper blade 9. A bearing bracket 2-6 is attached to the braces 25 and it rotatably supports a rod 27 which has a crank handle 28 formed upon its upper end. The lower end of the rod 27 is rotatably. supported by a suitable bearing 29, which is attached as shown at 30 to the rear side of the scraper blade, and collars 31 are mounted upon the rod 27 for preventing vertical movement of the same. A cable 32 is connected as shown at 33 to the rod 27 and it passes about a pulley 34. The cable 32 is connected to the upstanding arm 35 which is formed upon a crank shaft 36. The pulley 3-1 is carried by the upstanding arm 38 of a crank shaft 39. Ihe crank shafts 36 and 39 and rockably carried by the arms 5 and their crank portions 4:0,

which are formed upon their ends and posi tioned outwardly of the arms 5, are connected to the horizontal portions of the runners or side rails 1 and 2 by links 411 and staples 42.

When the rod 27 is rotated, for winding the cable 32 thereon, it will rock the crank shafts 36 and 39 and move the cranks 40 upwardly, which will raise the rear ends of the runners 1 and 2 with respect to the roller 8, and consequently lower the front ends of the runners which will cause the scraper to cut deeper into the ground, than it will cut when the front ends of the runners are raised by the levers 19.

A ratchet 13 is carried by the rod 27, and a pawl 41 1 is carried by one arm of the bracket 26. The pawl 4: 1 is provided for preventing accidental unwinding rotation of the rod 27. 4

In the operation of the improved land leveling machine, the scraper blade 9 will scrape the high places oif uneven ground, and carry it to the low places and the ground will be rolled and packed by the roller 8.

When the scraper frame 1 is raised by the cable 32, the scraper blade 9 will begin to pass over a part of its load. By winding the cable as quickly as possible, the roller and scraper become practically rigid as if they were all in one piece and the scraper passes over a part of its load and the roller rolls upon it, the result of which is that the load is left almost in a heap.

In leveling land for cultivation, it is often necessary to carry a small amount of soil from level or smooth land which does not need working, and in removing the ground it is very essential that the making of holes be avoided and by operating the cable 32, so that the greater part of the weight of the land leveling machine will be removed from the scraper 9 and borne by the roller 8, and also raising the front end of the runners slightly, through the medium of the lever 19, the scraper can be made to skim the surface of the ground and thus a load can be secured and hauled to a depression or hole without interfering with the levelness of the ground from which it was removed.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of construction and of the method of operation of the improved ground leveling machine will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, and while in the foregoing description, the principle of the operation of this invention has been described together with various features of construction, it is to be understood that certain minor features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be altered to suit practical conditions provided such alterations are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

What is claimed is 1. In a land leveling machine, the combination, of a pair of side runners, a scraper blade carried by said runners, a pair of arms connected to said runners, an axle carried by said arms, a roller rotatably mounted upon said axle and positioned rearwardly of said scraper blade, a pair of substantially U-shaped channel irons attached to said runners adjacent their forward ends, a pair of standards slidably and rotatably carried by said channel irons, supporting wheels carried by said standards, pins extending diametrically through said standards adjacent their upper ends, saddles slidably mounted upon said standards and resting upon said pins, levers pivotally connected to said saddles, flexible members connected to the forward ends of said levers and to the front ends of said runners for raising the front ends of the runners upon downward pivotal movement of the handle ends of said levers.

2. In a land leveling machine structure, the combination, of a .pair of runners, a scraper blade carried by said runners, a pair of substantially horizontally positioned arms attached to said runners, a shaft carried by said arms, a roller rotatably mounted upon said shaft, a pair of crank shafts rockably carried by said arms, upstanding portions formed upon said crank shafts intermediate of their ends, a pulley carried by the upstanding portion of one of said crank shafts, a vertical rotatable rod supported by said scraper blade, a cable connected to said rod extending about said pulley and con-- nected to the upstanding portion of the crank shaft other than the upstanding portion which carries said pulley, whereby when said vertical rotatable rod is rotated for winding said cable upon or unwinding it from the rod, said crank shaft will be rocked, and means connecting the cranks of said crank shaft to said runners for raising or lowering the rear ends of the runners upon rocking movement of the crank shaft.

3. In a land leveling machine structure, the combination, of a pair of runners, a scraper blade carried by said runners, a pair of substantially horizontally positioned arms attached to said runners, a shaft carried by said arms, a roller rotatably mounted upon said shaft, a pair of crank shafts rockably carried by said arms, upstanding portions formed upon said crank shafts intermediate of their ends, a pulley carried by the upstanding portion of one of said crank shafts, a vertical rotatable rod supported by said scraper blade, a cable connected to said rod extending about said pulley and connected to the upstanding por tion of the crank shaft other than the upstanding portion Which carries said pulley, Whereby When said vertical rotatable rod is rotated for Winding said cable upon or unwinding it from the rod, said crank shaft Will be rocked, means connecting the cranks of said crank shaft to said runners for raising or lowering the rear ends of the runners upon rocking movement of the crank shaft, means for preventing accidental unwinding rotation of-said rod, and means for raising the front ends of said runners independent of raising he rear ends of the runners.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' HENRY J; REED. Witnesses:

ALBERT S. DAVIDSON, JOHN C. HAMILTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

